Decision Making in Relation to Personality Types and Cognitive Styles of Business Students

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine the relation of personality and cognitive styles with the decision-making style of future managers. For this purpose, a sample of 130 postgraduate students of management were selected through incidental sampling. The tests used in the study were decision making style inventory by Rowe and Mason, Myers Briggs type indicator by Myers Briggs and cognitive style inventory by Jha. The results showed that intuitive personality type had a significant relationship with the conceptual decision style. The personality type ‘thinking’ showed positive correlation with directive decision style, but negative correlation with behavioral. However, the personality type, ‘feeling’ showed positive correlation with behavioral decision style. Personality type, ‘judging’ had a significant relationship with analytical decision style, whereas, personality type, ‘perceiver’ had an inverse relationship with it. Further, it was found that systematic and intuitive cognitive styles had an inverse relationship with behavioral decision style. Though systematic cognitive style had a significant relationship with analytical decision style, the study concludes the need for the inclusion of training programs on decision making for management students.